I’m a middle aged football fan who started this blog as lockdown was driving me mad and depriving me of my one balance from a busy working week – a visit to watch football. Decided to start this blog where I signed off as lockdown hit in March 2020 with a first ever visit to Southend United FC but my heart is, and has been since my first game in 1977, with Birmingham City Fc. I try and go – even though I now live in Kent, at least 7 or 8 times a season. I love watching the people and hearing the Brummy humour has left me with a passion for the experience of football (highs and the many lows). Plus I look to capture a fragment of the excitement I experienced as a young child going to evening games, under the lights at St Andrew’s and willing my hero, Trevor Francis, to score.
It’s called “Tea, Cake and Football” as every game is punctuated by the half time ritual of seeking refreshment for warmth and sustenance. One of the earliest games I saw this season was the Faversham match where despite my efforts to stick to a Slimming World regime, I couldn’t resist the homemade Cherry Flapjack from the tea stand. I therefore added Cake to my list, although that will hopefully be a rare treat as the season unfolds!!
I hope you’ll enjoy my tour of local grounds and hopefully soon some football league ones and it will inspire you too to enjoy the beautiful game and to get out there and see how much of it at grass roots level and beyond there is.
What People Say
“We talk about it for 20 minutes. Get down to it. Then decide I was right all along”
Brian Clough on managing dissent in players
‘I have always been accused of taking the things I love in life (football of course) too seriously…. I do get angry when someone disagrees about my view… perhaps it was these bitter men in the West stand at Highbury who taught me how to get angry in this way’
Nick Hornby
Tea, Cake and Football - Grounds of the UK 